Privacy: information technology

Karat, J., Karat, C.-M., Brodie, C., Feng, J. Privacy in information technology Designing to enable privacy policy management in organizations. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 63(1-2), 153-174 (2005)... 

Fraud, of course, is a different issue, but this kind of fraud couldn t happen—or at least, couldn t happen with such ease and frequency— in a world of paper-based records. With so much information floating about in cyberspace, and so much technology that can record and (55) observe, our privacy has been deeply compromised. 

Technology that digitally captures patient signatures, encryption software, and telecommunication all may be necessary to protect the privacy of patients and the security of pharmacy data. Pharmacists also must ensure that affiliated businesses are using proper procedures to protect any information they handle on behalf of the pharmacy. Even transactions necessary for the business functions of a pharmacy must be secure to protect patient identity. 

HIPAA is the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. HIPAA evolved as a result of the rapid evolution of health information systems technology as well as the challenges for maintaining the confidentiality of health information. HIPAA was introduced initially as the Kennedy-Kassebaum bill, an outgrowth of the Clinton administration s attempt to revamp the health care system. The result in HIPAA was an effort to streamline and standardize the health care system and to establish the privacy of subject information. The result of this effort was the issuance of the final HIPAA rules in August, 2002, which establish the requirements that prevent the disclosure of individually identifiable health information (Privacy Rule) (1) without authorization from the subject. An accidental posting of individuals health records and fraudulent use of medical records precipitated the passage of HIPAA. 

The basic idea is to apply the principles of the bank s safety deposit box to an IT solution for safeguarding electronic patient records. For the provision of services for sealed/locked records, the asymmetric cryptography technology, also known as public key cryptography, can be exploited as the base technology for implementation of a system managing the sensitive information in a sealed or locked state, for protection of privacy and for prevention of identity theft in the electronic information age. 

The management of information must be done by the use of technology. Provision for patient privacy and access factors are vital. However, the collection of data and shared access between the provider and the payer are fundamental. 

In a marketplace, whenever a consumer need or concern arises, the market attempts to address it. Here, too, the market has created technologies that address consumers concerns about lack of privacy. The most effective way to preserve privacy is to remove information that identifies a person by physical or electronic address, telephone number, name, website, or server address. Several models are available on the Internet. 

In other cases, identifiable information may be necessary for nsers to receive the benefits from using online technologies. Customiztition and online payment and delivery clearly require users personal information. To some extent, these activities may be handled through online pseudoidentities. However, when a reasonable level of privacy is assured, customers may be willing to reveal their identity just as they do by giving out credit card information over the phone. 

Agre, Philip E. Mailloux, Christine A. (1997). Social Choice About Privacy Intelligent Vehicle-Highway Systems in the United States, in Bata Friedman, ed.. Human Values and the Design of Computer Technology (Center for the Study of Language and Information Stanford, CA), pp. 289-310. 

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